In conventional bicycle saddle constructions a seat post clamping bracket is attached to the saddle and the clamp tightened around the seat post by a nut and bolt connection. This construction permits the saddle to be adjusted about an axis extending transversely of the bicycle and perpendicular to the seat post and also facilitates packaging the bicycle for shipment with the saddle removed from the seat post.
However, in addition to the fact that adjustable clamping brackets of this type are multi-piece components which must be preassembled before attachment to the saddle, the clamping force exerted by the clamping bracket on the seat post is often insufficient to hold the saddle in the desired position.
This is particularly true where the saddle is of the elongated type where the saddle length typically may be more than twice as long as it is wide. In fact, with this type of saddle conventional practice is to clamp the saddle to the seat post near the front end of the saddle and use a secondary support, usually in the form of a U-shaped tube, for the rear end of the saddle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,423 discloses a saddle construction in which the seat post is attached directly to the saddle pan. In this construction, a depression is formed in the saddle pan and a slot is provided in the depression to receive an end of a seat post which has been flattened to conform to the sides of the slot. The seat post upper end is positioned in the slot with upper and lower washers disposed above and below the pan and the upper end of the post is then enlarged by cold working to fix the saddle on the seat post. While this construction provides adjustability of the saddle about an axis transverse to the bicycle, it will be seen that again a multi-piece construction is provided and additionally such a construction is not ideally suited for packaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,509 shows another type of saddle construction wherein a seat post has its upper end flattened, similarly to the above mentioned patent, and is received in a slot formed in a bracket which in turn is attached to the pan of the saddle. Upper and lower washers are also used prior to enlargement of the upper end of the seat post by cold working to fix the support in the desired adjusted position. Again, a multi-piece construction is required and the manner of attaching the seat post to the support precludes continuous supporting contact between the upper surface of the support and the lower surface of the saddle.